


No Protocol for Love

by heartfuls



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Thieves, Drama, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Romance, Light Angst, M/M, Minor Violence, Misunderstandings, im all for dramatic tension but really have no idea how to write it lol, internally screaming for them to JUST TALK, minwon/meaning is end goal even tho its endless frustration between them, this is PEAK self-indulgence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:40:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23796280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heartfuls/pseuds/heartfuls
Summary: Wonwoo and his team are assigned a task to steal a multi-million dollar diamond from one of Seoul's most notorious thieves.As highly skilled thieves themselves, this was bound to be another rewarding heist.But an unexpected reunion and deceit quickly make one thing apparent: this mission wasn't going to be as easy as they all had thought.
Relationships: Jeon Wonwoo/Kim Mingyu
Comments: 9
Kudos: 40





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> based on one of my favourite heist movies & all the crime shows i've been bingeing.

The fresh air and bright sun feels revitalizing, he almost forgot what this felt like.

Wonwoo closes his eyes as he inhales a deep breath in through his nose and exhales slowly through his mouth. It’s been so long since he was last able to fill his lungs with air that didn't reek of body odours and damp mold.

The late afternoon light seeps through his eyelids to create a phosphene in shades of oranges, yellows with flecks of white and green. He savors the warm sensation of sun rays washing over his face and any exposed skin. He flexes his fingers and stretches to let warmth disperse to all his joints. Radiation be damned for the moment - he’s going to take in all the world.

Wonwoo shades his eyes as he opens them from the oncoming bright light awaiting him. 

2 years, 5 months, and 26 days. 

2 years, 5 months and 26 days since he last enjoyed the mundanities of everyday life at will.

 _"This is probably why people say 'enjoy the small things in life,'"_ he thinks to himself with a wisp of a smile on his lips. 

_Beep beep._

Wonwoo turns to the source of the noise and sees a familiar shade of red gleaming in all its glory. The drivers’ door opens to reveal a face he hasn't seen in the last 2 and a half years. 

Arms resting upon the open door with a smile so wide his dimples are on full display, visible from where Wonwoo is standing on the front steps of the dreary establishment. Cold metal bars can't contain the feeling of solace coursing through him in this moment.

A hand comes up to motion what seems to be a combination of a wave and a salute all at once. The wisp of a smile turns into a small chuckle as Wonwoo rushes down the remaining steps to meet Seungcheol. 

He trains his eyes on the ground. He watches himself taking the final step across the threshold surrounded by tall, barbed wire fences onto the flat, gray pavement - he is standing on a _public_ sidewalk. Reality hits him as he stares down at his black sneakers contrasting against the lighter gray - he is _finally_ leaving. 

He hears a chuckle which causes him to look up. Seungcheol slowly makes his way around the front of Wonwoo's Mercedes, arms spread as wide as the smile on his handsome face. Wonwoo steps into the hug offered to him and grasps onto the back of Seungcheol's black t-shirt. He feels Seungcheol adjust his arms to envelop Wonwoo's entire form while also patting the back of Wonwoo's head. 

"Good to see you again stranger," he hears Seungcheol mumble into his shoulder. Wonwoo pulls back to see Seungcheol smiling, eyes misty. 

Wonwoo laughs, "What's with the tears, hyung? Are you _that_ displeased about seeing me so soon?"

Wonwoo releases Seungcheol to ruffle his hair as he walks towards the car to toss his favourite sweater - he finally got to reclaim it during his releasing process - into the backseat. He turns back to be met with Seungcheol’s bottom lip jutting out at him.

"You'd think you learn some decency for your friends after being put away for years. Don't make me send you back in there while we're still here!" Seungcheol says while his thumb jabs to the building behind him.

Wonwoo huffs another laugh, “I made parole because I was being good _and_ respectful to those with authority. You on the other hand… I’ll take my chances,” he shrugs before opening the door on the passenger side of the car to slip in. 

He watches Seungcheol shaking his head as he makes his way back to the driver's side of the car. He gets in and turns the keys to bring the engine back to life. 

The car vibrates under Wonwoo. He can't be sure if the vibrations are solely from the car or if it's the adrenaline starting to slowly release into his system from the excitement at his prospect of seeing beyond the beige brick walls of prison for the first time in years. 

Wonwoo leans back and watches as the detention center that housed him slowly shrink away in the side view mirror, the looming feeling dissipating along with the view - the complete opposite of the gnawing anxiety that fostered when he was sat at the very back of the bus filled with inmates driving towards prison.

When the prison completely disappears from his vision, Wonwoo lowers his window to feel the wind hit his face and run through his overgrown bangs.

Regardless of the havoc the wind will cause for his hair, Wonwoo sticks his entire head out the window. He closes his eyes and welcomes the invigorating energy of the sun and wind on his being. He had missed this feeling so much - the feeling of _freedom_. 

He props his chin on both his arms resting on the window ledge. Wonwoo watches as the clouds and blue sky slowly morphs into tall skyscrapers casting long shadows onto the streets below. With every mile placed between them and the prison, the streets slowly become more alive - similar to how much more lively Wonwoo is feeling. Storefronts and people aimlessly wandering the streets soon fill his vision. He never thought he would see the day where he would long to be in the midst of the bustling overcrowded streets of the city. He’s missed every part of this.

"You look like a dog sticking with your head sticking out the window, only less cute but just as furry. Might wanna get back in here, Fido. Unless you want to be hit with some perfectly timed bird shit," he hears Seungcheol chuckle next to him.

Wonwoo turns to face forward in his seat as they come to a stop at a red light. There is a bubblegum pop song playing softly in the background. He sees Seungcheol's fingers tapping rhythmically on the steering wheel and hears him humming along. 

"Dog or human, I'd still have better choice in music. Also for your information ahjussi, I'm more of a cat person - reflexes and all nine lives intact," he retorts as his fingers go to the phone Seungcheol had connected to the car's sound system. 

Seungcheol scoffs again, "I really should've left you there to walk home. I thought you were a smartass before but prison really changes a person, huh?" 

Wonwoo settles with a hip-hop mixtape he remembers liking before he was put away, choosing to ignore Seungcheol in favor of rummaging through the glove compartment in front of him.

He shoves aside all the garbage he meant to throw away but never got around to. He finds his lock picker - the one he disguises as a long dangly earring - and his favorite black studs. He snaps the glove compartment shut and pulls down the visor above him for the mirror. He pops the accessories in, assesses his reflection, and gives himself a nod of approval - now he feels more like himself.

The car ride is peaceful with sounds of the city coming through the slightly ajared window and quiet beats from the car speakers. It wasn’t until they took a turn down a street leading away from Wonwoo’s apartment that he breaks the ambient silence, “Where are you going? My apartment is in the other direction.”

“We’re not headed home, we have a job offer.”

Wonwoo turns towards Seungcheol with a smirk, “You weren’t kidding about sending me back to prison so soon, huh?”

Seungcheol glances at Wonwoo before his eyes refocus on the road in front of them. “I wasn’t the one who sent you there the first time but it would be my _pleasure_ to send you back, brat.”

 _Ouch._ He got him there.

“I’ll brief you once we meet up with the rest of the team. It will be your call if you join us or not but it’s a generous paying job. It’ll make up for all the ones you missed out on while you were… becoming a better member of society,” Seungcheol tries to keep a serious face but his tone drips with sarcasm.

“You’ll need to define what generous means. Just released inmate, remember? What makes you think I’ll remember what generosity is? Especially after becoming so hardened by prison.”

Seungcheol rolls his eyes, “Let’s just say it’s a job offer you won’t be able to turn down.”

“What makes you so sure I haven’t turned over a new leaf after repenting for my crimes?”

“You just said you were hardened by prison, nice try though. And a gut feeling tells me you’ll be interested.”

“You sure that isn’t just indigestion?”

Seungcheol shoves Wonwoo’s face away from him. 

“Watch the glasses! And you mentioned a team? You know I work better alone.”

“It’s a big job that requires more hands. You remember Jeonghan and Soonyoung?”

“Yeah, me and Soonyoung go way back. I’ve met Jeonghan a few times, he specialized in identity theft, right? What else does he do? Oh, besides have you wrapped around his pinky.”

Seungcheol’s ears turn pink and he sputters, “I am not wrapped around any part of him!” he coughs before answering Wonwoo, “And he’s also a wire walker.”

“Oh. This is a big _big_ job.”

“Have I got your investment, Mr. Jeon?”

“Possibly but no promises.”

“Yes!” Seungcheol pumps one of his fists in a victorious manner.

Wonwoo scoffs amused. He settles back in his seat and closes his eyes, deciding to get some rest before the potential storm heading his way. 

*

Seungcheol mumbles a soft apology as they run over an unexpected pothole and shakes Wonwoo out of his nap.

He removes his glasses and rubs his eyes as he assesses their surroundings. The sun is a lot lower in the sky now and Wonwoo realizes they’ve driven to the outskirts of the city. His suspicions of where they were headed are confirmed as he sees a familiar building come into view when Seungcheol makes a turn onto a dead end street.

The old car garage they use as their meeting base had not changed in the slightest except the side panels were becoming more uniform in their tones of rusting copper-brown and the roof shingles were more faded from their battles with the elements over the seasons.

Wonwoo steps out of the car and continues to assess the building, pushing his glasses up. This desolate place is withstanding the test of time. 

He feels a hand clap him on his right shoulder. He turns to see Seungcheol, smiling up at the building as if it was his pride and joy.

“Welcome home, Jeon Wonwoo.”

Wonwoo scoffs and shoves Seungcheol’s hand off his shoulder, “Home? Prison was more inviting than this. You kept this dejected piece of destruction as the base all these years?”

“Home isn’t a place, it’s where the alcohol, fucking and… I swear something else is suppose to be on that list but we only focus on essentials in this home!”

Wonwoo had learned throughout the years there was very little that could leave him feeling unsettled.

Guns? No problem. 

Blood? A daily occurence. 

Dead bodies? You see one, you’ve seen them all. 

He _thought_ there was nothing that could shake him but Wonwoo stood corrected. 

The correction came the day he met Yoon Jeonghan. When Seungcheol introduced Wonwoo to Jeonghan, Wonwoo was on edge instantly. 

There was more than what meets the eye with Jeonghan - something more behind the angelic face and pretty smile he offers to Wonwoo. His eyes always glinted with knowing, making Wonwoo feel like he is being analyzed in his presence.

He barely had time to take in the changes Jeonghan made to his appearance before he felt two hands coming up to pinch his cheeks. 

“Wittle wonnie, wook at how thin you’ve gotten! Did the big bad criminals scare you in prison? You were the wittle bitch weren’t you? My poor baby! Don’t worry, I’ll kiss all your boo boos away and put your favourite hello kitty bandaids over you!” Jeonghan cooes while continuing to pull Wonwoo’s cheeks and squishing them back in. 

Seungcheol laughs at Wonwoo’s demise while Wonwoo yanks Jeonghan’s hands away from his face. 

“Who do you think you’re dealing with? I am one of the best in the game and you know it.”

Jeonghan took his hands away to place one under his chin and the other on his hip.

“Oh? That’s funny because I recall the last time hearing about you, you were in a very different situation.” He tilts his head to one side and taps his chin as if he were deep in thought but this is Jeonghan - he lives for dramatic pauses.

“Ahh, yes! You got your ass caught and put in fucking prison! Am I right?!”

 _Ouch._ Two shots on his first day of freedom.

“So come again, who was this ‘best in the game’ player we were discussing?”

Seungcheol goes to high-five Jeonghan. Jeonghan’s eyes never stray from Wonwoo’s as he extends a hand to meet Seungcheol, flawless without a bat of an eyelash.

Wonwoo continues his staredown with Jeonghan. His efforts go in vain - with a challenging quirk of Jeonghan’s eyebrow, Wonwoo knows he lost this battle. 

“Fuck you,” he quietly groans as he shoves past Jeonghan to head inside.

He could hear Jeonghan cackling before he heard footsteps quickly trailing behind him. Wonwoo suddenly felt a weight on his back. He hears Jeonghan giggling in his ear.

Before he could throw the menace off his back, Jeonghan lands an excessively salivated kiss on his cheek, “Welcome home Wonwoo! I can’t wait to whip you into shape.”

Wonwoo groans again, “Ew. Do you always go kissing people you barely know?”

“No one ever kisses and tells, love. You may barely know me but I’ve heard _all_ about you.”

“Seungcheol?”

“You already know! Now up and onward, noble steed!”

“Or how about you work those legs out for the upcoming job? I don’t want to be carrying deadweight.”

“I could or I could conserve my energy for when the time comes. Life is really hard sometimes, you know?”

“You say that as you are making _my life_ harder as we speak.”

Jeonghan pulls on Wonwoo’s ear. “Would you rather be a _noble_ steed or a bottom _bitch_? Hm? _Hmm_?” he whispers in an icy tone.

Wonwoo knew there was more to Jeonghan than his seemingly soft appearance - poor Seungcheol doesn’t stand a chance against Jeonghan’s hidden devil... and neither does he. 

He sighs and he hikes Jeonghan higher up onto his back, “Where to your _excellency_?”

Jeonghan hums in a satisfied tone, pleased with the outcome. 

“Then onwards, hoe! To getting filthy fucking rich on our next heist!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this has been on my mind for moooonths & the lockdown gives me time to finally write it :)
> 
> \- em♡


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the first 2 chapters are mainly to set the scene & provide some context!!
> 
> (i'm minwon filth so it was hard not to nose dive right into their story 🤧)

Stepping back inside their base, everything hits Wonwoo at once ‒ quite literally. 

"What the fuck is that smell? Did you guys let something die in here?" Wonwoo scrunches his nose at the offending smells invading his senses.

“ _Enjoying fresh air was short-lived,”_ he thinks to himself as he checks inside their kitchen sink before making his way to the fridge for a drink. 

"Nothing besides your reputation, my dearest dongsaeng," Jeonghan offers in a sing-song tone as he skips to grab a seat at the dining table they have situated in the middle of their living room space.

Wonwoo sighs as he pulls out a bottle of water, "You can drop the motherly love if you're going to couple it with insults and I don’t know, pick up a broom?" he gestures to all the leftover take-out containers and garbage laying around the floor.

"I read prison can dehumanize people so I'm only doing what's best and showing you the love you deserve!” Jeonghan says while placing a hand over his heart as if he was truly offended. “I also read, ten percent of our waste ends up in the ocean. I’m doing an environment a great favour by having things stay put. You and future generations will be thanking me." 

"You? Reading? I already know you're lying right through your teeth. I'm disappointed."

"I have a university degree, bitch."

"You mean the one you photoshopped and used to seduce all those businessmen to get into their bank accounts?"

"Into their bank accounts _and_ their pants. Don't sell me or my valuable DIY skills short," he replies as he pushes his chair back to prop his feet up on the table.

"What Seungcheol sees in you is truly beyond my wildest imagination," Wonwoo says before he unscrews the cap of his water bottle to take a drink. 

“Your wildest imagination? I can unlock that for you too, plenty of me to go around,” Jeonghan winks and sends a flying kiss in Wonwoo's direction. 

Wonwoo chokes.

"You disappoint _and_ disgust me," he tries to say but is interrupted by his own coughs.

Jeonghan pretends to wipe at a non-existent tear from his eye ‒ as if Wonwoo mentioned something he was genuinely proud of.

Seungcheol clears his throat when he reaches the top of the stairs. His eyes go from Jeonghan to Wonwoo's hunched over figure coughing. He sighs and makes his way over to Wonwoo.

"Can you not kill him on his first day back?" Seungcheol calls out to Jeonghan as he pats Wonwoo’s back.

"But where would the fun be in that?" Jeonghan questions as he assesses his nails.

Seungcheol shakes his head as he walks over to Jeonghan. He pinches the toes on one of Jeonghan's shoes between his middle finger and thumb. He pulls it back to the edge and drops it unceremoniously.

Jeonghan scoffs, "Excuse me. My feet are occupying this space! Rude much?"

Seungcheol stares expressionless at Jeonghan as he brings his hand back up to show him the position his hand was just in. "Sir, my pinky was up. That’s as polite as you’ll get me.

"Hmm… 'sir'? That's a new one we'll have to test under different circumstances later." 

Seungcheol blushes and clears his throat again before shoving Jeonghan's remaining foot off the table. He maneuvers himself behind Jeonghan to get into the room tucked into the back corner of their loft-esque garage. 

The room in the back of their loft serves as storage for their overfilled cabinets of casefiles, computers and their devices haphazardly strewn around. Seungcheol rummages through the drawers for the information on their latest job offer.

Wonwoo, who has finally recovered from his choking fit, joins Jeonghan at the table. 

His eyes wander around the small space. As little as the exterior hasn't changed, the same could be said about the interior. The worn down pull out couch was still sitting in one corner next to the wooden bookcase that housed nothing but a few withered plants.

The setting sunlight streaming in through the windows and open balcony door accentuated the layers of dust settled on top of almost every surface and the multiple cracks in the paint on the walls. 

Wonwoo never cared about the esthetics of this place but he can’t deny the comfort it brings seeing how time can take its toll on the place but they’re still familiar after all these years ‒ both the setting and the people in it.

He takes a seat across the table from Jeonghan who is occupied scrolling on his phone and smirking every so often at something that amuses him.

Wonwoo sees Seungcheol emerge with a few files in hand. He throws the pile down onto the table causing the dust accumulated in the folders to stir up into the air. Jeonghan sneezes as Wonwoo fans away the dust with his hand.

“And to whom do we owe the honour of keeping such an old record on? No one is this important unless they’re loaded,” Jeonghan quips while rubbing both his hands together, eyes scanning the old files.

“I’ll start the moment Soony-”

“I’m here! I’m here! I had to stop to help some ducklings crossing the street. Those things are fricken adorable but so _fucking_ slow!”

Everyone turns to see a very sweaty Soonyoung leaning against the kitchen island, taking heaving breaths.

“Actually, perfect timing. We just pulled out all the files needed for our next job.”

“Sooo… I’m _not_ fashionably late is what you’re saying?”

“Shouldn’t you aim to be on time?” Seungcheol asks with a confused face, checking his phone for the time.

“Hyung, it’s about establishing your presence - the person de resistance as I’d like to say.”

“No one says lame shit like that but you,” Jeonghan deadpans.

“No one can begin without your attendance because they all know you’re a valuable personage,” Soonyoung continues whilst ignoring Jeonghan and emphasizing his claim with a chef’s kiss motion.

Seungcheol and Jeonghan both blink ‒ the latter looks at Wonwoo, “And you thought I was something? Hate to break it to you, Soonyoung tops us all in the ‘needs a reality check’ department.”

“I’d top all you bitches in anything _and_ everything! I have the eye... of the tiger!” Soonyoung scowls while trying to do what Wonwoo can only guess is some martial arts pose Soonyoung learned somewhere on the internet.

“Instead of trying to scare off a bunch of ducklings, do you want to join us as I brief on the job? Then you can continue…” Seungcheol pauses and gestures towards Soonyoung with one hand, “whatever it was that you were trying to show and tell.” 

Soonyoung seems to be satisfied with the promise of being able to showcase his tiger prowess later and takes a seat next to Jeonghan. As he settles into his seat, he suddenly becomes aware of a fourth presence in the room. His eyes go as wide as his mouth when he makes eye contact with Wonwoo across the table. 

“Hello?! Who are you!? What is going on!? You’re not supposed to be here!?”

Jeonghan chuckles and reaches over to push Soonyoung’s jaw close. When he removes his hand, it falls right back open.

Wonwoo snickers at how ridiculous Soonyoung looks. “I’m Jeon Wonwoo. I was in prison and now I’m not because I made parole so I’m out approximately 6 months early.” he spreads his arms open as to present himself, “Does that answer all your questions?”

Soonyoung rises from his seat and rounds over to Wonwoo’s side. He looks at Wonwoo as a perfect embodiment of the surprised emoji except with teary eyes. Wonwoo was about to tease him about being a child when he was pulled into a very oddly angled embrace. Wonwoo awkwardly pats Soonyoung on the back while the other boy all but wails into Wonwoo’s shoulder.

“Why didn’t you call me?! Does being your best friend mean nothing?! You idiot! I hate you! No, wait, I don’t! Let me look at the man you’ve become! It’s been so long!” Soonyoung disappears from Wonwoo’s space as quickly as he invaded it.

Wonwoo would feel flattered that someone genuinely missed him to this extent except Soonyoung was an ugly crier and the snot he was currently trying to snort back in right now was not helping his case.

Wonwoo cringes as he grabs a tissue from the box sitting in the middle of their table and offers it to Soonyoung who immediately grasps onto it and Wonwoo’s hand. Wonwoo reaches over and pats Soonyoung’s bleach, blonde frizz in hopes that it offers some comfort from the emotional rollercoaster he just experienced.

“Touching, truly,” Jeonghan says full of sarcasm.

Soonyoung blows his nose while glaring at Jeonghan, opting to release Wonwoo’s hand and sticking up a middle finger at Jeonghan.

Seungcheol claps his hands, “Well then! Now that we are all re-acquainted, the job briefing starts!” he finishes with another clap as if his hands were a director’s slate.

Jeonghan grabs one of the folders and opens it in front of himself. He skims over the information before he looks over at Seungcheol.

“Are we really working with him?”

“Who? Who is it?!” Soonyoung asks while trying to grab the file from across the table.

Seungcheol snatches the folder back from Jeonghan. He glances at Wonwoo before he lays all the contents out on the table.

“Kim Mingyu.”

Wonwoo feels the hairs on the back of his neck stand. He tenses and tightens his grip on his water bottle. That was a name he was not expecting to hear ever again. 

Wonwoo hears Soonyoung gasp to his left.

“Kim Mingyu? _The_ Kim Mingyu?! As in Kim Mingyu, the gambling legend?!” Soonyoung screeches.

“Gambling legend? Do tell. I’ve only heard his name through the grapevine,” Jeonghan glances at the bottle in Wonwoo's grasp as he speaks. 

Wonwoo glares at Jeonghan, crossing both his arms over his chest. 

“Kim Mingyu made history as being the youngest gambler to ever win millions in one game. He went in with 800 dollars to his name and walked away with 8 million,” Seungcheol reads out loud.

Jeonghan whistles, “Shit but I don't care about how much anyone else makes unless it’s going into my pocket." 

Wonwoo scoffs, "No matter how much money he has, he's not someone to be trusted."

Jeonghan turns back to Wonwoo before asking, "And why is that? Do you know Kim Mingyu?”

Wonwoo makes the mistake of making eye contact with Jeonghan. He can see the curiosity twinkling behind Jeonghan’s eyes.

“As you said, through the grapevine.”

Jeonghan tilts his head, “Something tells me you’re not letting on as much as you actually know.”

“So you think you know me now, huh?” Wonwoo was starting to get irritated with Jeonghan.

“Well sweetie, you’re getting defensive about some light questions so I can’t help but be curious.”

“Who is getting defensive? This isn’t an interrogation, Jeonghan. Get off my dick about fucking Mingyu.”

“No one said anything about fucking but if that’s what gets you off, no judgment. Money and a good dicking will loosen you right up. It really sounds like you need all the above,” Jeonghan finishes with a smirk on his face.

Soonyoung and Seungcheol stare wide-eyed at Jeonghan. The quiet dripping of a faucet from somewhere in their loft adds to the tension hanging in the air. 

“You know what? Fuck you, fuck that bastard and fuck this job. You are all insane to think this will end in anything but a fucking disaster working with _him_ ,” Wonwoo seethes.

He pushes away from the table with such force the remaining files that had been delicately balanced on the edge of the table all spillover - much like Wonwoo’s emotions in the moment. 

He storms off with Soonyoung calling after him and Seungcheol reprimanding Jeonghan for his horrible timing.

Wonwoo stomps down the stairs of their loft and across the garage. He grabs a pack of cigarettes off a work counter and heads outside. He rips the side door open with so much force he was sure the hinges were going to come with the door. 

Outside, it was clear the end of the day was nearing - the sky displaying a base of indigo with lingering wisps of periwinkle and rose on the horizon. As Wonwoo looks on, he can see the few stars visible in the city starting to make their presence known. 

He leans on the hood of his car. He closes his eyes and lets the cool evening breeze blow over his tense form as he takes deep breaths for the next few moments.

He usually has better control over his emotions but the mention of Kim Mingyu and the way Jeonghan was eyeing him ‒ something came over him and he snapped. He felt like he was suffocating and needed to get out before he did something like cry in front of everyone.

He shakes his head to get rid of tears he feels wanting to weld up. He will not waste anymore time brooding about the past.

He remembers the pack of cigarettes he grabbed before coming out. He pulls out a roll and slips it between his lips before realizing he didn't have a lighter on him. 

He groans, just his luck. 

He’s about to get off his ass and head back in to grab one when he sees the side door swing open. Seungcheol emerges and makes his way over to Wonwoo. When he's a few feet away, he tosses something in Wonwoo's directions. Wonwoo catches it with one hand and opens his hand ‒ his lighter.

He looks up to see Seungcheol offering him a small smile and tipping his chin towards Wonwoo’s car ‒ a silent gesture asking if he can take a seat. Wonwoo shifts over to make space for Seungcheol. Wonwoo lights his cigarette and they both sit in silence, staring up as the remaining light slowly disappears like Wonwoo’s cigarette.

“Sorry about Jeonghan. He didn’t mean any harm, you know?”

Wonwoo offers a hum in place of a verbal response.

Seungcheol sighs, "I know he hit a nerve. I don't know what happened between you and Mingyu but I’ve heard you two used to be quite the duo.”

Wonwoo glances at Seungcheol but doesn't say anything as he blows out a steady stream of smoke. 

"You don't need to tell me and like I told you before, it's still your call if you want in on the job. No pressure but the game won’t be the same without our best player."

Wonwoo throws the rest of his cigarette to the ground and crushes it with his heel. He turns to look at Seungcheol who is looking at him with puppy eyes.

Damn Seungcheol and his kicked puppy expression. He really knows how to get to Wonwoo. 

Wonwoo sighs and throws an arm around Seungcheol's shoulders, "How do I say no when your face is practically begging me to come?" 

Seungcheol's gummy smile slowly appears on his face, "Is that a yes I hear?!"

"Well it wasn't a no, was it?"

"You won't be disappointed Wonwoo! We're going to hit a jackpot this time!" Seungcheol excitedly punches the air.

Wonwoo smirks at his friend's antics, "Just keep your lover boy out of my hair and we'll have nothing to worry about."

"Huh? W-who's boy? What? I d-don't know who you're talking about!" Seungcheol sputters but even in the low light Wonwoo can see his ears turning pink.

Wonwoo pats Seungcheol on the shoulder before getting up and starting back inside. 

“So when do we get started?” he calls over his shoulder.

“Tomorrow, bright and early!”

He’ll show Kim Mingyu his money is worthless - he is going to pay for what he put Wonwoo through.

Wonwoo was right, a storm is on the horizon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wonder what's up with wonwoo... we shall see soon hehe
> 
> \- em♡


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND.... we finally get to meet someone very important, hinthint: the ship is tagged for a reason.
> 
> The real TEA as they say really starts to develop from this point forward so please enjoy!
> 
> (also posting this at 3am after a quick once through, so excuse bad grammar/spelling/etc.!)

Time tells him it’s morning but the overcast skies say otherwise. The sombre gray reflects his sullen mood perfectly since he forced himself out of bed. Wonwoo groans feeling his eyes protesting his choice of contacts instead of glasses on a day like today.

He sits in silence with his head against the top of his steering wheel and fingers tapping tunelessly on the sides before deciding to wait outside of his car for the others to arrive. The silence in his car was starting to become uncomfortably loud with the way his mind started wandering to the underlying causes of his restlessness. 

As he rounds the front to take a seat on the hood of his car, he pulls a box of cigarettes out of his pocket. He gently shakes the box until one slips above the neatly aligned rows and holds it between his lips while feeling around for his lighter.

Seungcheol’s car drives into the parking lot while he searches. He raises a hand to greet him before returning to his prior task. Once his lighter is in hand, a soft _clink_ sounds as he flips the lid with his thumb. The flame flicks to life, ready to ignite his cigarette. Once smoke starts to rise and the embers in his stick burn, he flips his lighter shut.

Wonwoo heads over to the passenger side and pulls his lock-picking earring off. He seats himself sideways to unlock the glove compartment. As he works his earring through the keyhole, he hears a car door slam followed by his cigarette being plucked from his lips.

He follows the slender fingers clamped around his cigarette up to a face and watches Jeonghan take a long drag before he lets out a breath full of smoke.

“I didn’t take you as a smoker.”

“Because I’m so pretty?”

“Whatever you want to tell yourself.”

“You look like a smart kid so I'll assume you know how bad these things are for you. Stress smoker? "

"And what of my smoking habits? Don't tell me you actually care when you're stealing said bad habits from me."

“This is my due diligence as a good hyung. The more I smoke, the less there is for you! Can't have our key player dying before I have 7 figures to my name."

Wonwoo scoffs, “Are you really going to start with me so early in the morning?’

Jeonghan smirks. “I take it you’re not very fond of me.”

“I like you just fine.”

“Very convincing, the monotone _really_ sells it. You’re an interesting person, I enjoy a challenge.”

“A challenge?”

“I’ll figure out what's behind the emotionally constipated face you always make sooner or later. Call it intuition but something tells me there's more behind the cold, brooding mask you wear.”

“Careful there, curiosity kills the cat.”

“Thankfully, they have more than one life.” Jeonghan blows his final puff of smoke into Wonwoo's face before he slips the remaining butt of the cigarette back to Wonwoo’s lips.

Wonwoo watches as Jeonghan flits back to peck Seungcheol on the cheek as he examines a range of handguns he had stowed in the trunk of his car. He really doesn't get what Seungcheol sees in the man. 

Wonwoo shakes his head before he returns to unlocking the glove compartment. It unhinges after a few more twists of his earring, revealing the other essentials he carries. He trades his lighter and box of cigarettes in for his father’s handgun and the one bullet clip he keeps alongside it. He makes sure his doors are locked before heading over to Seungcheol's car - adjusting his shirt to conceal the gun he tucks in behind him.

Soonyoung joins them not _too_ long after ‒ fashionably late with no excuse besides he _definitely_ did not oversleep and miss his alarm.

“Soonie, sweetie. You’re still wearing your house slippers,” Jeonghan points out while eyeing the tiger slippers housing Soonyoung’s feet.

“Maybe I like to work in comfort!”

Seungcheol and Jeonghan both give him a questionable look before Soonyoung sighs and trudges back to his car, mumbling what sounds like an apology to his slippers before returning with a pair of sneakers on.

Seungcheol nods approvingly and starts towards the building. 

It’s a rundown place, located on the backstreets off the freeway. The yellow paint on the wall crumbles off in chunks, exposing the cracked gray cement underneath. The neon ‘MOTEL’ sign on the roof glows an ominous red against the increasingly darkening sky. The pool they walk past is filled with green-tinged water and algae lining the grout lines between the tiles. The faint rumbles of thunder accompanies their steps towards the building entrance. 

Wonwoo can only assume the place has most likely seen a fair share of _activity_ in its days. 

At the front desk, Seungcheol coaxes the female clerk close to whisper into her ear. She immediately bows to them and hands over a key to their room with a smile gracing her perfectly painted red lips, no questions asked.

Nevermind, Wonwoo _knows_ this place has seen more than he had in all his years.

They head up the red, plush carpeted stairs as Soonyoung giggles, “This place really pulls out all the stops, a red carpet for all their guests.”

Earning him a smack on the back of the head from Jeonghan. 

Wonwoo holds back a laugh as Soonyoung turns around with a pout on his lips but turns right back around when he catches the unamused look on Jeonghan’s face. 

They arrive on the third floor and Seungcheol leads them down a long, narrow hallway. The light above them flickers and a musty scent fills their noses. Everything surrounding them screams impending horror movie death, minus the lack of the 80’s floral wallpaper peeling off the walls and suspenseful music suddenly halting ‒ then Wonwoo would be afraid. 

They stop outside a room at the very end of the hall, room 313.

Seungcheol puts a hand on the grip of the gun he had tucked at his side and Wonwoo follows suit. 

Seungcheol inserts the key and nudges the door open slightly. 

All the lights in the room are off. The only source of light being filtered in through the open balcony door, curtains whipping around when a gust of wind stirs through.

Once the curtains settles, the view reveals a lone figure leaning on the balcony rails. His back is turned to them but Wonwoo hates how he knows this view. No matter how hard he fights to suppress his body’s reaction, he feels his heart race and a pin prick sensation crawling across on his skin.

Seungcheol’s hand relaxes off his gun as he heads across the room and knocks on the inside of the door to notify the man of their arrival. 

The man turns toward the knock, revealing the face Wonwoo had hoped to never see again ‒ Kim Mingyu.

“Seungcheol!” Mingyu exclaims, a smile on his face.

Seungcheol smiles and shakes hands with Mingyu.

“Mingyu! Let me introduce you to my team.”

Mingyu follows Seungcheol in and shakes hands with Soonyoung first ‒ who looks to be slightly starstruck with the way his eyes remain unblinking at Mingyu.

“Is he okay?” Mingyu whispers to Seungcheol as Soonyoung continues to shake Mingyu’s hand for a prolonged time.

Seungcheol snaps his fingers in front of Soonyoung’s face. The motion seems to break the boy out of his daze.

“Ah! Yes! I’m Soonyoung! Born in Namyangju, the team’s hacker, codename Tiger, and also it’s so cool to finally meet you in person! I’ve heard so much about you! You’re like a living legend?!” he lets out all in one breath.

Mingyu lets out a small huff of laughter. Wonwoo groans in disgust at the sound.

“I’m looking forward to working with you on this job Soonyoung!” 

Soonyoung practically beams at Mingyu’s acknowledgement.

“My, my. The grapevine left out very important details.” Jeonghan smirks as he hits a light switch to illuminate the room before sliding in front of Mingyu.

“Oh?” Mingyu raises his eyebrows.

Jeonghan gently holds Mingyu’s chin between his thumb and index finger, tilting his face back and forth while his eyes move across his face. “No one mentioned how handsome you are.”

Mingyu smirks before wrapping his hand around Jeonghan’s to lift it off his face. Instead of a handshake, he lifts the back of Jeonghan’s hands to his lips. 

Wonwoo wants to gag at what he’s witnessing.

“And you are?”

“Jeonghan, wire walker at your service.”

“What a pleasure it is to have you joining us.”

Jeongcheol looks Mingyu up and down before suddenly pulling away. Mingyu’s head turns to follow Jeonghan as he heads over to cling to Seungcheol’s shoulder.

“I approve of this one, why can’t all our jobs include eye candy?”

Seungcheol sighs while shaking his head and Mingyu chuckles. 

As Mingyu turns his attention towards the final presence in the room, Wonwoo prepares himself to face the dreadful music. The air in the room suddenly feels like it lacks enough oxygen for sustenance, apparent in the way Mingyu’s breath seems to get caught on the way to his lungs. His eyes widened by a fraction. 

For someone who was dreading this moment right up until the second it happened, Wonwoo finds himself satisfied with the sight of a startled Mingyu. He smirks as the realization crosses his mind (that he now has the upper hand) - Mingyu wasn't expecting him here. 

Wonwoo crosses his arms across his chest and leans against the wall next to him, never breaking eye contact with Mingyu.

“Hyu-”

“It’s been… a while, Mingyu-ssi.”

Jeonghan glances at Wonwoo with a glint in his eyes while Soonyoung looks between the two of them, confusion written on his face.

“Do you... guys... know each other?" Soonyoung asks slowly.

“We w-”

“No.”

Mingyu's quick to wipe any lasting signs of initial surprise off his face, annoyance settling across his features from Wonwoo cutting him off again. Wonwoo shrugs with an innocent look.

“As I was saying, we worked together before.”

Jeonghan looks straight at Wonwoo as his arms mimic Wonwoo’s stance. “Really now? Wonwoo hasn’t said anything about this before.”

Wonwoo clenches his fist from where they rest at the bend of his elbow, “It never came up.” 

Jeonghan clicks his tongue but before he gets another word out, Seungcheol nudges him and throws him a pointed look. Jeonghan sighs and both hands go up as if he’s surrendering. He throws himself on the bed next to Soonyoung.

Seungcheol lets out a sigh of relief and looks at Mingyu,"Do you want to tell us about the job details now that we’re all acquainted with each other?”

Wonwoo moves his glare on Jeonghan towards Mingyu, who had not taken his eyes off Wonwoo this entire time.

Wonwoo opts to stare out the balcony door instead of making eye contact with Mingyu again.

Mingyu clears his throat before turning back around to answer Seungcheol, “We’re actually missing someone still.”

“Oh, you brought someone else?”

“I didn’t know you’d be bringing...” he pauses for a moment ”... Wonwoo with you for this job.”

“Did I put a dent in your perfect plan, Mingyu- _ssi_? ” Wonwoo seethes coldly.

Mingyu scoffs, “Please. This job can be done with or without you. Don’t think so highly of yourself.”

Wonwoo pushes off the wall and in a few long strides, he’s standing in front of Mingyu.

“Do _you_ have a problem with me being here?”

Mingyu stares down at Wonwoo, eyes as hard as the ones staring up at him.

“If I did have a problem, do you think you’d still be standing?”

Mingyu has his gun pointed at Wonwoo’s chest - right above his heart before anyone else could process the escalation. 

Wonwoo looks down at the gun and then back up to Mingyu, a taunting smirk on his face. His hand on the grip of his own gun tightening from where he had it aimed below Mingyu’s ribs.

"I dare yo-"

“Alright! Drama queens, cut it out! Let’s all calm down.”

Mingyu and Wonwoo both look to their right to see Jeonghan standing there calmly.

Jeonghan gestures to Mingyu’s gun, “May I?”

Mingyu stares Wonwoo down for a few more tense moments before sighing as he takes a step back, lowering the gun and handing the near murder weapon over to Jeonghan. Jeonghan smiles, unloads the gun in front of both of them and throws it over to Soonyoung who screeches trying to catch the parts. 

He directs a look at Wonwoo as if to say he’s waiting. Wonwoo rolls his eyes as he unloads his gun and waves both parts in the air, gaining a nod of approval from Jeonghan.

“Now, let’s be like big boys and use our words,” Jeonghan pats both of them on the shoulders.

Mingyu avoids Wonwoo’s eyes as he mumbles, “Sorry.”

Wonwoo nods once as acknowledgment as he tucks his gun back into place.

“That’s it?” Jeonghan scoffs.

“What else do you want? A group hug and sing along?” Wonwoo taunts.

“Fine, if that’s all you guys need!” 

Jeonghan throws himself back onto the bed and turns the boxy 90's TV on before channel surfing. 

“I mean, if _anyone_ has a _problem_ , feel free to _leave_ ,” Mingyu accentuates specific words while looking at Wonwoo who was giving him the cold shoulder.

Seungcheol goes over to pat Mingyu on the chest.

“You know he’s one of the best in the industry. He’s essential to our team. So can we agree to not kill each other until we finish this job?” Seungcheol asks as he looks between both Wonwoo and Mingyu.

“Fine.”

“Fine but no promises on what happens after.”

"While we are all taking requests, please move out of the way. You're all blocking my view." Jeonghan motions with his foot from where he has it propped up on his opposite knee ‒ looking completely unaffected by what almost transpired.

Seungcheol lets out a sigh and ruffles his hair to relieve his own stress. He heads to the tiny fridge, pulls out a water bottle, before perching on the edge of Jeonghan's bed.

"Did you want this back?" Soonyoung asks Mingyu as he holds the gun in one hand and the bullet clip in the other ‒ from his upright, stiff posture anyone could tell he wasn't comfortable with handling weapons. 

Mingyu chuckles and waves Soonyoung over to the edge of the bed. The tension bleeds out of Soonyoung the moment both items leave his hands. He wipes the back of his hand across his forehead to dry the perspiration building under his bangs. 

Mingyu reloads his gun with a sharp _click_ , making sure he is looking Wonwoo dead in the eye as he does. Wonwoo glares right back from where he was lounging in the armchair in the corner of the room, hand tightening around his own clip.

Mingyu secures his gun back in its place as his phone pings with a notification. He pulls it out of his pocket, types a quick reply before addressing the team.

“Last member of the job is on his way up, we’ll start our job briefing once he arr-”

The front door unlocks before Mingyu gets to finish and a head pops in from behind the door.

“Junhui!” Mingyu exclaims as he rushes over to greet the new face.

Junhui smiles at the familiar face and gives into Mingyu’s huge bear hug. 

“Kim Mingyu! It’s been so long! You never told me when you came back to Korea?”

“Long story.”

Junhui nods understandingly. “Well we can gossip later, let’s get right to the money talk. I’m sure that’s what we’re all here for.” 

They all move to sit around the tiny dining table as Mingyu grabs the documents from his bag.

“Ah, my manners. I’m Junhui, Jun for short, Mingyu’s friend from China. I hope to become better acquainted with all of you during this.”

Seungcheol offers a hand. “I’m Seungcheol, wire specialist, and this is the team; Jeonghan’s our wire walker, Soonyoung’s our hacker, and Wonwoo's the safe breaker.”

Jun nods along as Seungcheol goes around the table introducing each person and his eyes stop on Wonwoo. “Ah, you’re a safe breaker?”

Wonwoo nods, “Yeah I am, what about it?”

“So am I. I look forward to learning some things from you.”

“Learning? You make it seem like I’m the only one who does this.”

"Word is you're one of the fastest safe breakers there are in the industry.”

“Where did you hear that?”

“Your name really gets around.”

Before Wonwoo can probe any further about Jun’s information source, Mingyu throws down a few folders on the table.

“Who’s the lucky fellow that’s going to make us all rich?” Jeonghan rubs his hands together as Jun grabs the folders and displays the contents across the table for everyone to see. 

Jeonghan snatches the profile sheet and his eyes do a quick scan.

“So… we’re going to be stealing from the Blue Butterfly?”

Wonwoo’s ears perk up at the mention of the name, he sits up straighter in his seat.

“Huh? Blue Butterfly? _The_ Blue Butterfly?!” Soonyoung asks, eyes wide open.

“Unless you know another Blue Butterfly then I’m sure we’re all thinking of the same one,” Seungcheol says while he shifts through the information in front of him.

“Just to make sure we are all on the same page. We’re all talking about _the_ Blue Butterfly, one of the most notorious thieves in modern Seoul history? _The_ Blue Butterfly, the one has never had his identity revealed? _The_ Blue Butterfly, who kills off his competitors mercilessly?”

“That’s the one! You only forgot the tiny” Mingyu adds emphasis by holding his index and thumb up to his squinting eye, “fact that he is also using his stolen goods for money laundering.”

“Now, you’re speaking my language! What does he have that we want?” Jeonghan leans into the conversation, chin in hand.

“Not him per se, we’re aiming for his fiance. She’s in the possession of what we’re really after.”

“And the item up for grabs is...?” 

“This,” Mingyu picks up a picture and throws it on top of all the papers, “The serenity-rose diamond.”

Everyone leans in for a peek except Wonwoo, this all sounds very familiar - _too_ familiar. Wonwoo clenches his fists, Jeonghan’s eyes flicker to the motion momentarily.

“It looks like any regular diamond, what makes this one so special?” Jeonghan asks with a tilt of his head.

“Value, Jeonghan, value. It is the only one of its kind. You’ve heard of the Heart of Eternity diamond, right?” Soonyoung asks.

Jeonghan nods. 

Mingyu continues, “The Heart of Eternity has an estimated market value of 16 million.”

“Won?” Jeonghan asks as he leans in, becoming more invested at the mention of money.

Jun shakes his head, “US dollars.”

Jeonghan practically drools, “How much is the serenity-rose diamond worth?”

“23 million US.”

Wonwoo can see the dollar signs lighting up in Jeonghan’s eyes and literal drool on the edge of escape.

“Who’s the generous bastard that will be paying for the stolen treasure?”

“The Blue Butterfly himself.”

“ _Waaaait_ , let me get this straight. We’re stealing from the Blue Butterfly and then selling back what we stole to him?” Soonyoung asks, with a furrow of confusion on his brows.

“Exactly.”

“Why?”

“We have a list of buyers from all around the world, ready to purchase the diamond. Blue Butterfly knows its value, he’ll need it if he wants to continue moving money without detection.” Mingyu explains as he waves a small black book in the air.

A chorus of _ahh_ ’s fill the room.

Wonwoo scoffs, “What makes you think we’ll be able to pull off this heist? Where do we even begin?”

Soonyoung nods along, “If this man is as dangerous and loaded as the record shows it will be virtually impossible to get near him or his fiance, let alone the diamond.”

“Impossible is composed of two words: i’m and possible,” Jun states matter-of-factly.

“Did you think paraphrasing Audrey Hepburn is supposed to be the motivational spark to take this job? You’re going to have to do a lot better than that,” Wonwoo retorts.

“We have an insider who is volunteering all the information we need to plan the perfect heist. He’ll be working alongside us throughout this job.” Mingyu responds.

“And how do we know your source is trustworthy?”

“They’re trustworthy,” Mingyu looks across the table into Wonwoo’s eyes before he adds, “trust me.”

“Why would I?”

“You have no choice but to. You’ll just have to take my word for it.”

☁️  
  


Mingyu’s informant is scheduled to meet them after sundown.

Soonyoung was busy all day going over the Blue Butterfly’s history and assets with Jun. Jeonghan yawns from where he is snuggled next to Seungcheol on the bed as a movie quietly plays on the TV. Mingyu was leaning against the headboard of the other bed, eyes closed and breathing softly.

Wonwoo was occupying himself by unloading and reloading his gun as he watched the sky slowly darken as the day slips pass them. A soft rumble of thunder and light pattering against the balcony door indicates the end of this storm was nearing but Wonwoo was already preparing for the next one to roll in.

A bright light enters his peripheral right as his clip clicks back into place. He gets up to look out and down towards the parking lot.

A man comes out of the driver’s seat with an umbrella in hand, shielding whoever he lets out of the back seat.

“Looks like the second storm is incoming.”

Mingyu’s phone pings, stirring him awake. He rubs his eyes as he checks his phone and is quickly on his feet after reading the message. 

“Get ready everyone, it’s time for the real work to begin.”

A gentle knock raps on the door and everyone’s head turns towards it. Mingyu makes his way to answer it.

The man walks through the door, looking like he just walked off a runway straight into the dingy room. His fingers push back his bangs, revealing a slender face. 

For someone sporting a mullet decades beyond its era, he made it work. It oddly suited his face, pairing well with his pinstripe suit and the librarian chained glasses hanging around his neck. He takes the nearest seat to him, propping his left leg over his right knee. He delicately lifts his glasses to place them back on his face, slowly glancing at all the faces in the room before he nods approvingly.

“Everyone, this is Min-”

“Minghao. I can introduce myself. This your team?” Minghao asks Mingyu.

“Yes, I’ll introduce you,” Mingyu rambles off the names of everyone in the room.

Wonwoo nods at Minghao at the mention of his name and the other takes a moment to look Wonwoo over before he returns the gesture.

“Pleasure, now should we get started?”

“Straight to it. I like you,” Jeonghan comments from where he is now sitting up on the bed.

“What would you like to know?”

“Where does she keep the diamond?”

“Straight to it,” Minghao shoots back at Jeonghan, “She’s a regular at the Grand Hyatt hotel & casino. She has her own designated presidential suite on the 20th floor. She has 2 safes inside the room where she keeps all her valuable possessions when she leaves for her casino rounds.” 

“Any guesses as to what the numbers might be?” Jun asks.

“No idea what the combinations are or could be.”

Soonyoung raises his hand while asking, “What does security in the building look like?”

“Security is tight, which could be expected from one of Korea’s most prestigious hotels. 24 hours security cameras outside her hotel suite and the hall of the VVIP floor. She always has a security guard by her side. The suite is locked with a magnetic field, the only way to unlock it is with the chip she had placed in her engagement ring.”

“It sounds like we need a miracle to get this job done,” Soonyoung runs a hand through his hair.

“I heard you specialize in miracles, isn’t that right?” Minghao looks over to Mingyu for confirmation.

Mingyu nods with a smirk, “You have the best thieves in Korea present, there’s nothing we can’t steal.”

Minghao grins, “That’s what I like to hear. Anything else?”

“And why should we trust you?”

Minghao pushes his glasses up as he turns to grin at Wonwoo. “The Blue Butterfly’s fiance, Hyejin, is my sister. A _step_ sister. Need I say more?”

Wonwoo shakes his head. Minghao’s grin turns even more sickly sweet.

“Glad we’re all on the same page then! If that’s all the questions you have for me, should we commence our celebrations?” He gestures for his bodyguard, who hands him a bottle of champagne.

“Do you have any glasses in this room?”

“What are we celebrating?” Seungcheol asks.

Minghao pops the bottle and preens like a cheshire cat, “A successful heist.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> right after I started writing this, I got called back to work *big SIGH* 
> 
> adulting is hard, don't wish to grow up kids.
> 
> this update is loooong overdue but i'm glad it's hereeee. I've got the main story planned and chapters drafted so it will eventually be finished... when work permits me the energy to 😔
> 
> but anyways, hope you're having a good day wherever you are! continue wearing your masks and social distance when possible. stay safe and treat others kindly!
> 
> -em♡


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> content warning: mentions of minor characters death!!
> 
> italics are to separate the past from the present!!

“I don’t think there are any diamonds in that one.”

Bang.

“Ow!”

Wonwoo winces while watching Jun let out a hiss of pain as he crawls out from the huge safe they have in the middle of their garage, rubbing the back of his head from where it hit the top of the safe’s interior.

“Sorry didn’t mean to startle you,” Wonwoo apologizes as he tosses a bottle of water towards Jun.

“It’s alright, didn’t hear you pulling up. Guess this thing is soundproof too,” Jun offers with a light kick to the safe.

“What’re you doing?”

“I was checking out the interior of the safe. Minghao told us these were the models Hyejin has in her suite so Mingyu dropped these bad boys off for us to get acquainted with.”

"Acquainted? Thieves and safes are more suited as enemies."

"Keep your friends close but your enemies closer, Wonwoo."

"Right, Mr. Pocketful of sunshine. You don't need to tell me twice about where to keep friends and enemies." Wonwoo ruffles Jun’s hair as the latter is taking a drink from his water bottle, causing him to jostle and spill water all over his sweater. Jun gives him an exasperated look as Wonwoo laughs before he moves to review the safe blueprints and specifications laid out on the work table next to Jun.

“Any idea as to how this thing works?” Jun asks as he joins Wonwoo’s side, pulling the wet sweater over his head and tossing it onto the empty side of the work table.

“Hmm, it seems like this model has a glass relocker, getting past it will be our big challenge.”

Jun taps on the section outlining the back of the safe. “Why not go through the back? Looks like the easiest method to me. You’ll bypass the glass relocker and it’ll give you straight access to the contents.”

Wonwoo purses his lips before answering. “Easy, yes but the back is too thick. We'd waste a lot of time trying to cut through and it requires a lot of equipment.”

“So... how are you planning to get in?” Jun asks as he turns to look at Wonwoo hunching over the blueprint.

Wonwoo hums quietly before picking up Jun’s hand and placing it on the safe’s door on the blueprint, “Through the front, it’s how the professionals do it.”

“And how will you do that?”

“Not sure yet but I’m assuming you’re here to help me figure it out.”

“I’ll try my best but I’m interested to see how you work your magic.”

Wonwoo huffs, “Not so much magic, more so of understanding the mechanics of how a safe works. Come on, I’ll show you.”

Wonwoo crouches next to the safe and undrills the back of the safe’s door. He points to the glass panel behind the dial, “We need to drill through the glass in order to get a view of where the notches on the wheels are, the notches correspond to the numbers on the dial.”

Wonwoo looks up to see Jun nodding along.

“The problem is once the glass relocker is shattered, it will relieve the tension on the wires holding up these pins and cause these lock pins to drop,” he points to the pin connected to a wire surrounding the perimeter of the door, “Once they drop, the door is permanently sealed.”

“Sounds like a complicated risk.”

“If it were easy, we wouldn’t be where we are today now would we?”

Jun slings an arm around Wonwoo’s shoulders before nodding in accordance, “You have a point there. You really earned your rep as one of the best safe breakers in our field of work.”

“I wouldn’t say I’m the best but I also won’t deny that I’m good at what I do,” Wonwoo shrugs.

“After our crash course to safe breaking, I would beg to differ,” Jun chuckles.

Wonwoo offers Jun a small smile before turning back to the dismantled safe door with a sigh, “In theory, everything should go smoothly once we figure out how to keep the pins from dropping. From there, it comes down to steady hands and patience.”

“Safe breaking sounds really handsy, maybe I should look into switching roles.”

Wonwoo and Jun look up to see Jeonghan leaning over the staircase rail.

“Mingyu’s all set up. Seungcheol told me to drag you two asses upstairs to discuss the game plan.”

“Mingyu’s here? I didn’t see him come in!” Jun exclaims as he hurries to head upstairs.

“You looked pretty occupied talking about getting handsy and shit so,” Jeonghan shrugs.

The upper floor sees the whole team sitting around their dining table - a floor plan of the hotel spread across the surface.

“Jun and…. Wonwoo.” Mingyu nods at them as they approach. Jun comes to pat him on the back while Wonwoo takes a seat at the very end of the table, the furthest away he could get from Mingyu.

“So boss, tell us. What did your beautiful mind conjure up?” Jun asks gesturing to the papers in front of them.

“So here’s the plan. Jeonghan will check in to a suite on the 17th floor. Seungcheol will be set up on the roof and help Jeonghan climb up to the presidential suite.”

“How do I get access to the roof? Wouldn’t we need a special key to bypass the restricted areas?”

Mingyu goes to his bag and grabs a little black device. He hands it to Seungcheol. “This is a reader deactivator, it’s coded to be able to disable any keycard reader. You’ll be able to get into the service elevator and up to the roof.

While Jeonghan’s climbing, Soonyoung will hack into the security system.”

Soonyoung blows out a long breath, “This system is probably the most complicated one I’m ever going to hack into. I’ve never done anything to this scale before.”

“Minghao can assist you, he’s pretty good with technology. He can probably explain the specifics of the hotel security system. I can set up for you two to meet tomorrow.”

“That’d be helpful, thanks Mingyu.”

Mingyu reaches over to pat Soonyoung’s hair with a smile before continuing to explain his plan, “Once the security system is shut down, Jeonghan will be able to let Wonwoo and Jun into the hotel suite.”

“And how do I get them past the magnetic field on the lock?” Jeonghan asks.

Mingyu tosses him a roll of wires, “Use this. Place it over the lock inside and it will act as a bridge to keep the magnetic field currents intact. You’ll be able to open the door without needing to deactivate the lock or tipping Hyejin of an intrusion.”

“Jun and Wonwoo, once you’re inside, you’ll have 10 minutes before the system reboots.”

Wonwoo nods. “10 minutes to break into the safe and get out.”

“Will that present any problem to you?”

Wonwoo looks up at Mingyu’s direct tone with a glare of his own. From across the length of the table, for a split second, Wonwoo thinks he sees something in Mingyu’s eyes that betray the harsh tone he used to question Wonwoo. But in a blink, Mingyu’s back to an impassive, indifference.

Wonwoo scoffs at his own thoughts. What was he thinking? There’s no way, not even in hell, Mingyu would be concerned about him. The past has made clear of his intent.

“You don’t think I can do it?”

“I wouldn’t have asked if I thought you could. So _can_ you do it?”

Wonwoo is about to strike back when he gets interrupted.

“Sorry to interrupt your impending quarrel but Mingyu, I can’t help but notice, you’re not coming in?” Jeonghan points out.

“No, I’m blacklisted from the hotel. I won’t be able to be on the property before Soonyoung disables the system. I’ll be waiting around the back loading dock in the van.”

"How did our mastermind get himself a permanent ban?"

"Ah, how you flatter me Jeonghan. To keep it brief, you can only play so much before casinos deem it 'stealing'."

Jeonghan hums in agreement. “But that’s our plan in entirety? Then we speed away into the sunset as millionaires?”

Mingyu laughs, “And that’s it. Any questions?”

“Can I go back to learning how to break into safes? Since _some_ people believe I won’t be able to do it, ” Wonwoo asks, tone heavy with sarcasm.

Mingyu nods. “Good luck with that. You’ll need it.”

Wonwoo gives one final glare at the smirk settling onto Mingyu’s face before angrily stomping back down to review the safe blueprints. Wonwoo clenches the side of the tables and bites the urge to head back to lay a punch on Mingyu.

“Job first, revenge after.” he whispers to himself.

Wonwoo steadies himself by taking deep breaths until Jun joins him, cup of coffee in hand.

“Hey, you good?”

“Yeah, all good.”

“It seemed a bit.... tense between you and Mingyu.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Jun hums nodding and setting the drinks down before dropping the topic. “Okay. Let’s get back to safe breaking then.”

They study the blueprint and make points as to what tools they would bring in for Wonwoo’s proposed method.

“Wait, you’re a safe breaker too.”

Jun nods.

“How do you plan to get into the safe?”

Jun shuts one of their practice safes. He looks over at Wonwoo to wiggle his finger and eyebrows in tandem.

“I trust my senses.”

“Meaning?”

“It was what my father always said, to trust our fingers and feelings.”

Wonwoo raises an eyebrow, “Oh?”

“He was the one who taught me everything I know, from picking locks to breaking into safes.”

“Was your father also a thi…” Wonwoo trails off.

Jun chuckles slowly fade into a sad smile. “You can say it. He was a thief. A thief but he was a good father.”

“Was?”

“Yeah. Was. He was killed by the Blue Butterfly a couple of years ago when him and another thief were killed during a meeting with the man.”

Wonwoo clears his throat, “Seems like we share something in common.”

“Hmm? Did you have a thief for a parent too?”

Wonwoo mirrors Jun with a sad smile of his own. “No, my mom was a teacher and my father was a police captain.”

“Oh?”

“But both my parents… were also killed by the Blue Butterfly.”

🌅

_Wonwoo's early life was nothing out of the ordinary. His mother was a preschool teacher and his father, a police officer - they were a textbook definition for a perfect family. Wonwoo knew nothing but a mom who lovingly doted on him and a father he regarded as his personal hero._

_His father made his way up from a blue-collared officer to captain of his force over the years. As captain, he was assigned the task of tracking down the identity of one of the most notorious thieves only known as the Blue Butterfly. No one knew of his real identity but was coined the alias from the rumour of the single blue butterfly he had tattooed on his ring finger._

_Shortly after his father picked up the case, on a rainy afternoon in March, Wonwoo’s mother was struck by a speeding vehicle on her way back from the grocery store - a car accident, both driver and victim pronounced dead at the scene._

_Her death coincided within a day of the news breaking of his father’s new lead on the Blue Butterfly._

_With full suspicion as to whom the perpetrator was, his father poured himself into working the case against the Blue Butterfly. Wonwoo remembers almost never seeing his fathers’ face after his mother died._

_Days turned to weeks._

_Weeks turned to months._

_He understood why his father was putting his all into the case. He knew his father was working to a means of ending the elusive Blue Butterfly so no other family would have to suffer the ordeal they were currently living._

_Wonwoo learned how to repress his emotions. No matter the pain he felt, he knew the cause was for a greater good. It wasn't easy but surely, things would go back to normal after this case was over. Wonwoo always believed in his father, this case was no different._

_One night, Wonwoo was starting to drift off to sleep when he heard the door to his room click open. He felt a light pressure on his head, patting slowly. After locking himself either in his study or staying overtime at his precinct, this was the first time Wonwoo’s father had seen his own son in months. Wonwoo’s back was facing his father but he could imagine the distraught on his face as he spoke._

_“When did you become this tall, hm? You’re growing faster than my gray hairs.”_

_Wonwoo hears his dad chuckle before letting out a long sigh - heavy with remorse._

_“Wonwoo… I’m sorry for being so absent after your mother was taken from us. You were very lonely this whole time, right? But you never asked for anything and endured all this on your own. My son, you are still young but so strong when you didn’t need to be. I will make it up to you after this is over. We’ll celebrate your birthday, that was today right? I’m going to find this man, it’ll be over soon.”_

_He felt the hand stroking his hair leave and the light creaking of footsteps on the hardwood floorboards indicated his father's departure. Before the final click of the door, he heard his father sigh and utter a final, “I promise you, Wonwoo.”_

_On his 17th birthday, Wonwoo wished that his father’s promise would become reality. He'll never forget his father's last words, the words that echoed in his ears as he fell asleep that night._

_2 agents went undercover the next day. The serenity rose diamond in hand to strike a deal with the Blue Butterfly._

_Their plan was secured - backup would break in the moment the diamond was handed over. Months of planning to take down one of the most notorious thieves in Seoul’s modern history. Success was within their grasp._

_Wonwoo’s father never broke a promise to him until that day._

_In a twist of events, all 3 components of the plan disappeared - both agents were taken down and the diamond vanished without a trace._

_At 17 and 1 day, Wonwoo learned to never hold onto hope as his world crumble to nothing._

🌅

A clock makes its presence known, the loud ticks seem to reverberate against the stillness of the room. The stillness is broken when Wonwoo feels Jun pulling him into a hug.

“I’m sorry someone else has to know this pain.”

Wonwoo rests his forehead on Jun’s shoulder. “Working this job will get me closer to finding this man and killing him myself,” he clenches his fists at his sides, “I just wish I could’ve done something to stop this man sooner.”

He closes his eyes to stop any tears from escaping. But he knew he was too late because he felt Jun rubbing his back soothingly.

“Hey, it’s gonna be alright. Let it out. For what it’s worth, I think you’re a pretty strong person.”

Wonwoo pulls away to look at Jun in slight surprise, “What makes you say that?”

“For everything you’ve been through, you’ve fought to build quite a reputation for yourself in the field- one of Seoul’s most talented thieves. You’re bound to get this man sooner rather than later. I'm sure he's terrified of you getting to him!”

“Reputation means nothing. I just…”

“You just?”

“Can’t help but think how disappointed my parents would be sometimes, you know? You said it yourself, I have a reputation - as a thief. All this is what my father swore his life against but their only son grew up to be just that.”

“I don’t think they'd be disappointed in you. No one can blame you for choosing this life."

Wonwoo laughs dryly. "You can cut the bullshit. They would be rolling over in their graves."

"Okay yeah, they'd be disappointed in you."

"See I to-"

"But that's if they were still here. We don’t live for ghosts, we live because we are breathing in the present moment. Morbid as it sounds, we can’t bring back what is gone."

Wonwoo stays silent so Jun continues.

“With how much corruption surrounds us, can we really judge people’s choices? If desperation forces them to make _survival_ choices? Not all thieves are bad people. You're surviving so you can bring justice for your parents so if you ask me, your moral compass isn’t completely fucked. I’d prefer to call it... vigilante justice?"

Wonwoo sniffles the remainder of his tears away.

“But truly. I’m sorry someone else has to know the pain of losing someone in such a manner. But we’ll get the bastard and he’ll pay, I’m sure of it.”

“I hate to admit, but your ‘anything is possible’ attitude has its perks. I’m actually starting to believe in the thought becoming reality.” Wonwoo chuckles as he pulls away from Jun’s embrace.

Jun grins. “Now you’re getting it! That’s the spirit we need to catch a criminal, break his bank and put him in jail.”

Wonwoo shakes his head at Jun. “Slow down cowboy, step one is to figure out how to break into the safe before we break anyone’s bank.”

Jun nods rapidly, “No time like the present to learn!”

Wonwoo clears his throat. "And um. Thanks. For um… that."

"You mean listening?"

"Yeah. That. You’re one of the few who know the whole tragic backstory now, besides Seungcheol, Soonyoung and... " Wonwoo stops himself before uttering the name that would bring forth another burst of emotions.

Jun doesn't seem to notice as he smiles. "Considered me honoured. I always knew you were more than just a brooding, wet sock."

Wonwoo rolls his eyes, playfully. “I tell you one story and you think you have me all figured out.”

“Admit it! You probably like hugs, baby animals and summer!”

“Now if you could put a quarter of your brain processing into figuring out how we’ll break into the safe instead of picturing me as a marshmallow, it’d be a lot more appreciated.”

Before Wonwoo could react, Jun pulls him into a back hug and starts tickling him. They're both laughing until someone clearing their throat stops them.

"I thought breaking safes was a handsy job, but looks like it's also a bodily one. You boys are _really_ making me consider getting in on the fun here."

Jun releases Wonwoo out of his grasp and Wonwoo catches his breath while smoothing out his shirt.

Jeonghan's leaning against one of the safes they were working on, a mischievous glint in his eye.

"If you're both done, we were about to head out and grab some food before continuing our heist prep."

Wonwoo’s stomach rumbles at the mention of food.

"Sure, what're you planning to get?"

"Mingyu said something about driving to his favourite burger spot not too far from here."

"Mingyu?"

"Yeah, he came down here a few minutes ago all excited about food while I was in the washroom.

Wonwoo gulps. "Oh."

"Did you not see him come down?"

Wonwoo shakes his head.

"Huh... I wonder why." Jeonghan says slowly while cocking his head to the side.

"But whatever food here we come!"

Jun excitedly bounces out the door, dragging Jeonghan and Wonwoo along under his arms.

Mingyu's car is waiting outside for them. Jun calls shotgun even though no one was competing against him for the spot. Jeonghan pulls the backseat door open and shuffles in, leaving space for Wonwoo to slide in next to him.

Wonwoo hesitates. He has his hand on the door and he slams it shut.

Jeonghan shuffles back over, rolls the window down, and sticks his head out.

“What the hell? Why aren’t you getting in?”

Wonwoo looks at the side view mirror at the exact moment Mingyu’s eyes shift to be looking at him. Similar to earlier, Wonwoo could feel a clenching in his chest while catching onto the way Mingyu's gazes seemed to warrant _something_ before averting his eyes from the mirror.

Wonwoo looks back to Jeonghan who has his eyebrows furrowed slightly.

“Actually, I’m not as hungry as I thought I was.”

“But you just sai-”

“I’ll see you guys tomorrow. Enjoy.”

Wonwoo turns to walk away, he hears Jeonghan calling his name but heads back in and slams the side door to cut off his voice.

The feeling in his stomach before was from hunger but now it was twisted and unsettling - similar to how it feels whenever he looks into Mingyu’s eyes.

Wonwoo sighs. He refuses to entertain the endless possibilities and instead makes his way upstairs. Instant ramen and whatever else he finds in the cupboards will have to suffice as dinner tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for only a short, subtle minwon tension via eye glances after 2 months update... but we'll get more of their story in the upcoming chapter(s)?? 👀👀👀
> 
> buuuut for this one, we got a glimpse into wonwoo's background story. i'm sorry for giving wonwoo the cliche of a tragic childhood but ngl, this story is full of cliches so pls don't be expecting much haha ><"
> 
> hope you're all hanging on as the year wraps up, take care always!
> 
> \- em ♡


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> content warning: very minor mention of blood/violence
> 
> strap in, a lot is about to happen(?)!!
> 
> (and for all the grammar/spelling mistakes because this is being posted at 6AM... :D)

The next few days were dedicated to preparation for the big heist. Everyone had their assigned roles, now was the time to rehearse to perfection. 

Seungcheol and Jeonghan closely studied the hotel’s design to determine the amount of wire and time needed in order for Jeonghan to be able to scale the vertical incline of the hotel’s walls. Precision was of the essence - Jeonghan had to climb up three floors but any miscalculations could lead him to being six feet under instead. 

Wonwoo passed by as Seungcheol was assisting Jeonghan to make sure all his grappling equipment and harnesses were in place. He could see Mingyu watching them with distress written all over his face.

“How the fuck do you do this?”

Jeonghan turns his head towards where Mingyu was sitting on the couch. “Do what?”

“Look so… nonchalant about scaling up a 20 storey building.”

Jeonghan throws his head back with a laugh. “Sweetie, I’m an angel. I was born to fly!”

“There are so many things wrong with what just came out of your mouth. First, humans are definitely not made to have their feet anywhere away from the solid, stable ground. Second, you’re the devil reincarnated. And either way, the two beings are associated with _death and dying_ so… ” Mingyu clenches the pillow on his lap tighlyr to his chest.

“Heights are the least of my worries. You know what’s terrifying?” Jeonghan brings his hands up to his cheeks and imitates the iconic Scream painting pose, “Being poor!”

Seungcheol chuckles as he tightens the harness onto Jeonghan’s chest. “I’d like to think your confidence stems from being in good hands.”

Jeonghan looks back at Seungcheol with a tender smile, “That goes without saying. I’ll put my life in your hands any day, Cheollie.” He cups his cheek and kisses the tip of Seungcheol’s nose, causing the latter to blush.

“Why do you look like you’re the one who is about to scale a building and shit yourself in the process, Mingyu? It’s not like you’re the one who is going to be in on the action.” Seungcheol asks after clearing his throat and trying to divert the conversation away from Jeonghan’s heartfelt comment.

“He’s scared of heights.”

The world seems to fall silent as Wonwoo said that. Three sets of eyes turn towards him, displaying various emotions. Seungcheol looks confused, Jeonghan has his signature all-knowing glint, and Mingyu looks… surprised. 

Wonwoo only then realizes the mistake he made.

“Huh, the more you know! I’m just wondering how _you_ of all people know that.” Jeonghan inquires, clearly trying to rile Wonwoo up.

Wonwoo glares back. “It’s obvious from his reaction.”

“So you’re telling me… you’ve been keeping an eye on Mingyu?” Jeonghan smirks as Wonwoo’s glare narrows further, “ _Ooor_ is it, I don’t know, common knowledge to you?”

Wonwoo is about to snap back at Jeonghan when an alarm bell suddenly blares. 

_“Saved by the bell, literally.”_ Wonwoo thinks to himself.

“Whoops! My bad! Sorry, I pressed the wrong sequence of keys!” Soonyoung yells over the blaring sounds from where he was seated at the dining room table.

Minghao quickly turns off the deafening noise with a few quick taps on Soonyoung’s laptop. “It’s a good thing Mingyu called me over to help you. Can’t imagine that happening in the midst of your heist would be ideal,” he chuckles in relief.

Soonyoung runs a hand through his hair, letting out a sigh, “You’d think a hacker would be able to tell the difference between on and off but this system is a lot more complex than I anticipated. Technology is developing so fast, I’m going to have to retire soon. I can’t keep up with the youngsters anymore!”

“Oh please, if anyone’s going to retire it would be me! I’m the oldest!” Seungcheol pouts.

“If you’re the oldest, please act like it so I can respect you,” Minghao rolls his eyes, lightheartedly.

“Hey! You punk, when I get over ther-”

“Oh! But speaking of technology! Mingyu, didn’t you have something for the team?” Minghao asks, cutting off Seungcheol. 

Everyone turns back to Mingyu. Now to Wonwoo’s surprise, Mingyu’s eyes were still on him - the subtle awedness still present. 

The eye contact seems to break Mingyu out of his reverie as he clears his throat and reaches towards the bag sitting next to him on the couch.

“Yes! Thank you for reminding me, Hao. I have the phones we will be using during our heist. Soonyoung has encrypted all of them in order to keep our information hidden. All of us will be able to communicate during the heist but remain anonymous to external sources. The police won’t be able to trace our locations, texts or calls, etcetera.” Mingyu explains as he hands out the phones to everyone.

“But as an extra precaution, you’ll be assigned code names. Please refer to your aliases when communicating on the day of the heist.”

“I call dibs on Tiger!”

Jeonghan shoots Soonyoung a look from across the room, “No one was going to fight you for it anyways.”

Seungcheol chuckles before he starts announcing the code names chosen for each member, “Alright, alright. Soonie, you can be Tiger. I’ll be Coups, Jeonghan will be Angel, Mingyu will be Apollo, Wonwoo will be White Rose, and Jun will be …. Say, where is Jun?”

A series of shrugs and unsure comments sound around the room. Seungcheol nods and continues, “We’ll have to update him later but Jun will be Lunar. Everyone clear for the names?”

“Why does everyone get a ‘code’ name and I just get my real identity?” Jeonghan asks.

“Please, save it. You’re not fooling anyone, Jeonghan. We all know you’re more of a devil than Satan himself.” Wonwoo rolls his eyes.

“I’m a blessing and you know it. Life would be a deadbeat without me sprinkling spice and flare to your salty, mediocre existence.”

“I’ll take my chances.”

“Your funeral,” Jeonghan shrugs.

Wonwoo is about to show Jeonghan what adding ‘spice and flare’ means when his view of Jeonghan is suddenly blocked. He looks up at the body blocking his line of sight and is greeted with the unwelcoming view of Mingyu looking down at him.

“Can I... help you?”

Mingyu doesn’t respond but instead places two cell phones in front of Wonwoo. Wonwoo gives him a moment to explain but Mingyu walks away.

“You’re not gonna explain why I have two cell phones?”

Mingyu turns back to stare at him with a hardened expression. 

“One for you, one for Jun.”

“Why don’t you give it to him yourself?”

“Pass it along to him when you see him. From the looks of it, you’ve become closely acquainted with him.”

“He has, hasn’t he?” 

“We’re partners for this mission…?” Wonwoo’s eyes follow Jeonghan as he moves to plop himself down on the couch.

“Do you always get...mmm, _comfortable_ with your teammates?” Jeonghan asks with a mocking, cock of his eyebrow.

Wonwoo sees the smirk on Jeonghan’s face and he scoffs in annoyance at the implications of his words.

“Don’t strain your brain, Jeonghan. I keep it professional unlike you.”

“The professional is always personal, Wonnie. Don’t worry, I’m not jealous of your affection for others. I’ll gain personal points on the next job.” Jeonghan winks at Wonwoo.

Wonwoo glances to Mingyu. His expression seems to darken and tense up following Jeonghan’s words. He says nothing as he heads down into the garage. The team feels rather than hears the door slam from below.

“Geez! What’s his problem?” Soonyoung yelps.

“Hmm, maybe we can ask Wonwoo! Since he knows _so much_ about Mingyu.” Jeonghan suggests as he rests his chin into his hand, feening curiosity. 

“Why do you expect me to have the answers?”

Jeonghan smiles a far from innocent smile before answering, "Oh, reasons."

Seungcheol shoves Jeonghan backwards with a hand to the face. “Enough. Everyone should focus on their roles. We only have a few more days to make sure everything is set. No more teasing or messing around. Money is on the line. Get to it!” he emphasizes with a few claps at the end.

Wonwoo heads back down to where all his work is laid out for him. He sees Seungcheol drag Jeonghan down with him and they both leave the building. He hears a car start and can only assume they’re leaving the premises. Wonwoo unconsciously heads to the door himself and is about to open it when his hand freezes on the handle. 

He shakes his head. What is he doing? He isn’t going to check to see if _someone_ is still hanging around the building. Instead he heads back over to the work table to seat himself down. He’ll busy himself while waiting for Jun to arrive so they can start their trial runs. What he won’t be doing is thinking about where and why a certain someone isn’t here right now.

Jun arrives a few hours after. He apologizes about being late, something about how he was on his way to his car but then there was this cat and _obviously_ , he couldn’t just leave it be.

Wonwoo chuckles while shaking his head, “You would probably fight through the eye of a storm to keep that cat entertained.”

“Once you gain their trust, there’s no going back! That’s an unbreakable bond!”

"Are you some sort of cat whisperer too?"

"I would be honored if the cats were to allow me to communicate with them at such lengths," Jun says with awe while clapping his hands together as if he were hoping to praise the Gods to grant him the ability. 

"Okay… well before you start counting your nine lives, let's see you working in this life before Seungcheol is back and leaves you with only one for not contributing to our collective goal first."

Jun chuckles, "Fair enough. I'd like to have some lives to enjoy after becoming a multi-millionaire." He cracks his fingers, as Wonwoo cringes, and follows up with various stretches.

"Did I fall into a wormhole and end up in Aerobics class?"

"Ha, ha, ha. Very. Funny. Watch it, I'll be able to crack this safe open before you even find the combination written in the manual." He throws a stopwatch at Wonwoo before moving in front of one of their practice safes.

Wonwoo sits back and watches as Jun slams the safe shut before sitting down and nodding towards him. With that, Wonwoo presses start. 

Jun wasn't lying about trusting his fingers. Wonwoo watches as Jun sits with his ear flush to the safe door. All traces of the energetically positive, feline friendly, guy were replaced with a serious, concentrated look. 

Jun wasn’t lying about trusting his fingers. Wonwoo watches him with a timer in hand as Jun presses his ear to the door, fingers turning the dial nimbly. Time ticks by slowly until they both hear a click and Wonwoo presses stop on the timer: 9 minutes and 31 seconds. 

Jun turns the safe’s handle and it swings open. He stands as his arms sweep to present the empty safe to Wonwoo with a grin on his face, “What’d I tell you?

Wonwoo can’t help but let out an amused huff along with a few claps, “Very impressive. And here you were wanting to learn from me.”

“I can only be as good as the competition. Now, show me what _you_ got.”

They high five before switching over. Wonwoo grabs his kit of tools off the table and lays all the necessary parts out before looking over at Jun, suddenly nervous. But without sparing anymore thoughts, Wonwoo nods and Jun presses start.

Things don’t go as smoothly as Wonwoo had hoped. His initial run timing came in almost a full minute over ten. On his second attempt, his drill bit couldn’t break through the metal as quickly as he would’ve liked - costing him valuable time. His third attempt saw sparks fly and smoke rise, setting the fire alarm off. Wonwoo’s groans are drowned out by the deafening sound.

“Well, this wouldn’t be ideal on heist day,” Jun coughs while using his makeshift hand fan to clear the smoke away, “If we’re trying to go undetected, I’m _pretty_ sure setting a fire alarm off is not the method of choice.”

Wonwoo slams the safe shut and continuously bangs his head against it, “I’ve never had to work on a safe this difficult.”

“You’ll get it once you relax.”

“And what if I don’t?!”

“Hey! Relax! Remember these trial runs are so you can troubleshoot issues as they arise. You’ll figure out how to work around all these unexpected outliers.”

Wonwoo sighs as he pulls himself away from the safe, opting to lean his back against the cold metal. He signals for Jun to toss him the pack of cigarettes on the table. He runs a hand through his hair as he blows out smoke. 

Jun joins him on the floor and takes his own cigarette out of the box before pointing to Wonwoo’s lighter lying idly between them, the other nods.

Silence stretches on between them as their cigarettes slowly burn away. They’re halfway down to stubs when Jun breaks the silence, “Something tells me there’s something on your mind?”

Wonwoo shakes his head. “Stress? Nerves? Both? I don’t know. But we’re so close to getting the Blue Butterfly, I don’t want to miss this chance because of my inability to break into this specific safe. We won’t know when the next opportunity will come.”

Jun hums thoughtfully before he stubs his cigarette on the garage floor. He reaches over to pat Wonwoo on the back, “Don’t psych yourself out. We’re still days from the heist, you still have time to perfect your strategy. And you also forgot a very important fact.”

“And what’s that?”

“You have Wen Junhui, here to assist, sis!” 

“Please never refer to yourself as my ‘sis’ again.”

Jun laughs out loud before he regains his composure, “But in all seriousness, we’ll figure this out. All I’ve heard about you can’t be untrue.”

“Maybe you need to fact check your sources before believing the rumours you hear.”

“Rumours start from some sentiment of truth. Come on! I know you’re one of the fastest safe breakers there is. Don’t let this big boy scare you! You’ll figure it out how to get in there just as fast as yours truly,” Jun smirks as he slicks back his hair with his free hand.

Wonwoo pushes Jun away with a chuckle, “Shut up.”

“Treat this as any other job you’ve done. Yes the stakes are high but the procedure is, generally, the same. You can do it! Say it with me!”

“No.”

“Come on! You can do it!” Jun yells while he stands to throw both arms up as if he were a child.

“Absolutely not.”

Jun entwines both of Wonwoo’s hands in his and forces him up to mirror his own pose.

“Say it!”

“I can do it,” Wonwoo mumbles monotonically.

“I can’t hear you!”

“I can do it,” Wonwoo says a few decibels louder.

“Like you mean it!”

“I can do it!” Wonwoo finally yells, having enough of Jun’s shenanigans.

“I always seem to be interrupting something, don’t I?”

Jeonghan slams the door and strolls over to where Wonwoo and Jun are standing with their hands joined and still up in the air. 

“What were you up to today?” Wonwoo asks as he clears his throat and pulls his hands away from Jun’s hold.

“Seungcheol drove me to check into the hotel early. We did some scoping and everything looks to be in place. Minus the diamond and us stealing the diamond but in due time, everything will be in its place!” 

“If you’re all checked in, why are you here?”

“I’m glad you asked, Jun!” 

Jeonghan heads over to their work table and tears a blank sheet of paper out of a notebook. He grabs a pen before pulling off the cap with his teeth and quickly scrawling something before passing it to Jun and Wonwoo.

“You’re invited? Invited to what?”

“To my humble abode! If we’re going to be paying for the amenities, I might as well make the most of them before we can never show our faces there again.”

“I don’t think you can say you’re paying for amenities if you’re using a stolen credit card…”

Jeonghan waves his hand dismissively, “Minor details to be overlooked. I’m going to enjoy it as a reward for my hard work.” 

“What did you contribute to all this again?” 

“It’s a pre-celebration for all the work I am _going_ to do. But speaking of which, they have a huge rooftop bar. You know what that means?”

“Seungcheol will never agree to that.” Wonwoo scoffs.

🌃

“Drink up, Wonwoo! You need to unwind!” Jeonghan yells above the music and conversations surrounding them.

Wonwoo groans, “How did you get Seungcheol to agree to this? He hates crowds as much as… me.”

Jeonghan wiggles his eyebrows and smirks over the rim of his cup, “I have my ways.”

“You’ve convinced me laws exist especially to keep you in check or else the world would be chaos.”

“Maybe but when did the law ever benefit us? My philosophy is they were always made to be broken! Besides, you can’t spell fun without sin.”

“Yes you can?”

“That’s how I know you need a drink… or five. Drink up and wind down!” Jeonghan yells as he shoves a shot glass into Wonwoo’s hand.

Wonwoo looks around. Seungcheol, Soonyoung and Jun are all on the dance floor. Soonyoung was really captivating when he danced, attracting a crowd of people to cheer for him alongside Seungcheol and Jun. 

Wonwoo’s eyes continue wandering the expanse of the rooftop, not going unnoticed by Jeonghan.

“Looking for someone?”

“What makes you think that?”

Even under the fading sunlight, Jeonghan’s eyes seem to gleam. “You look like you’re expecting something or _someone_.”

The look in Jeonghan’s eyes makes Wonwoo feel nervous, he looks at Wonwoo like he knows more than he lets on. Wonwoo feels like Jeonghan is disarming him without any ammunition.

To distract Jeonghan from further questions, Wonwoo throws back the shot in hand to Jeonghan’s gleeful giggle. Jeonghan orders him a couple more before he pulls them to join the rest of the team on the dance floor.

Wonwoo hates to admit Jeonghan was right but Jeonghan was right. After losing count of the number of drinks downed, in Jeonghan’s words, he felt “wound down”. With too much alcohol in his system and music too loud in his ears, any thoughts or worries he had from earlier were silenced. Maybe he’ll thank Jeonghan, maybe.

Most of the team call it a night when midnight nears. Seungcheol noticed Soonyoung’s loss of coordination, his smooth moves became sluggish swaying coupled with excessive emotional clinging to Jun - it was clear he was done for the night. Seungcheol and Jun took it upon themselves to drag Soonyoung back home.

Jeonghan yawns from where he is sitting next to Wonwoo. “Oh my, I’m getting old. My new motto should be: party hard, rest harder.”

Wonwoo chuckles, “You’re only a year older than me.”

“365 days is a long time and after a quarter of a decade, it wears you down. Money is the only thing that will make up for my lost youth.”

Wonwoo shakes his head and mumbles to himself, “Money won’t be the only thing to make up for mine.”

“Oh? What did you say?”

“Hm? Nothing.”

Jeonghan looks at him before shrugging. “I’ll let you do your teenage angsting in peace, I’m retiring for the night.”

“See you, boomer.”

Jeonghan clinks his glass on Wonwoo’s before he strolls to the elevator.

Wonwoo empties the contents of his glass before he heads over to the empty patio. He leans on the railing and looks down at the cityscape below. To the unadulterated mind, this moment would feel serene and peaceful. Beautifully blissful, even. 

The sky and city work in a harmony not often seen. With the moon brightly reflecting the lights of Seoul back down on itself. The stars and buildings shine against the inky backdrop. The darkness of the night wouldn’t feel as consuming if this were any other night. The alcohol from earlier in the evening subsides, bringing on the less than welcomed worries.

He is still worried about how he’ll get into the safe but he’s more worried about the events following the heist. He knows what the Blue Butterfly is capable of. This might be his only chance to get the justice he has longed for but even with a plan, there’s always a chance of something slipping through his grasp - like how his parents were taken away or how Min-

Wonwoo feels himself sober up all the bit more at the name, nearly slipping to the forefront of his attention. He is _clearly_ still under the influence and can’t control his subconscious. He pulls a cigarette out of its box and checks his blazer pockets for his lighter. He realizes belatedly he probably forgot the lighter back at the base from when Jun and him were talking. 

He goes to return the cigarette back to its box when he hears a clink of a lighter. A flickering flame enters his right field of vision and meets the end of his cigarette. 

The stranger leans against the railing next to him. Wonwoo turns with the intent to thank the stranger but the cigarette between his lips slips away along with a quiet gasp.

His black hair is pushed back displaying all the features of his perfect face - from his forehead and sculpted eyebrows to the sharp jawline and tiny mole on his cheek. The top two buttons of his white dress shirt are unbuttoned and are accentuated by the dainty silver chain dipping between his collarbones. He had his sleeves rolled up showing off his forearms, still the same warm tan skinned Wonwoo hates to remember.

Wonwoo would be scolding himself for being focused on physical details if he was in the right mindset. He retracts his unspoken thanks for Jeonghan and blames him for his current intoxicated lack of inhibition. But was he intoxicated from the alcohol _or_ the scent of the cologne invading all his senses?

“You can take a picture, I heard they last longer.” Mingyu chuckles quietly, airily yet deep.

“Why are you here?”

“Jeonghan invited the team, didn’t he?”

Wonwoo doesn’t reply and returns his gaze to the view. The quiet sounds of slow, cityscape traffic float up to fill the tense silence. His worries from the moments before are suddenly clouded by trepidation of being in such proximity to someone he has been avoiding being alone with.

“Since when did you smoke?”

Wonwoo’s pulled from his empty thoughts when he hears the question.

“What?”

Wonwoo turns his body but keeps a hold on the railing to ground himself.

“Oh and congratulations on making parole, _hyung_.”

“What are you doing, Mingyu?” he asks with an incredulous scowl painted on his face.

Mingyu turns his head to look at Wonwoo.

The silence returns as their eyes meet. Mingyu looks as he did 3 years ago - everything about him looks the same but also so different. Wonwoo feels his chest constrict and his nerves come sparking to life as if electricity were coursing through his veins instead of blood. He hates how his body’s response upon gazing into Mingyu’s eyes is so automatic. He watches as Mingyu’s lips part slightly to let out a sigh.

“Look, hyung I -”

No. Wonwoo will not allow _this_.

“The only reason I had to make parole in the first place was because I was in prison. For three years.”

Mingyu freezes upon hearing Wonwoo’s tone.

“And you remember the reason why I went to prison, don’t you?”

“Hyung, you need to let me explain.”

“Explain? What more is there to explain? I went to prison because of you!” Wonwoo doesn’t hold back the anger. He takes a step towards Mingyu and accentuates his point by jabbing a finger to the middle of Mingyu’s chest.

It was the wrong move to make. Mingyu grabs hold of Wonwoo’s hand and tugs Wonwoo forward so their bodies are pressed together. Wonwoo feels Mingyu’s other hand come to his waist to steady them from the sudden shift. The hand in Mingyu’s grasp is trapped between their chests. Their faces a tilt away from being just as close.

Wonwoo feels his breath hitch being this close to Mingyu. This is _too_ close to Mingyu.

“Listen. Wonwoo -”

Wonwoo pushes Mingyu away with as much force as he could muster through the haze of alcohol and suffocating emotions surfacing.

“No. You listen! I went to prison for three years because of you! Because you left, Mingyu! You abandoned me after we finished the heist!”

“Abandoned you? What are you talking about? Wonwoo, calm down -”

“You don’t get to tell me what to do! You’re nothing to me but a dirty, greedy thief.”

The confusion in Mingyu’s eyes is emphasized by the furrow of his eyebrows. But Wonwoo refuses to halt. He lets the anger and pain from the past 3 years out - all the anger and pain from being betrayed by the last person he would’ve expected to do him wrong.

“It must’ve been nice. How much was it? Three million dollars worth of gold, right? It must’ve been comfortable living freely while I was put away.”

Mingyu scoffs, “You don’t have any idea what the fuck you’re talking about.”

Wonwoo glares and crosses his arms across his chest, “I don’t? I know for a _fact_ that you’re nothing but a corrupted fucking bastard who will use anyone he can to get what he wants.”

Mingyu’s confusion morphs to a different emotion but dissipates as quickly as it appeared and is replaced to something akin to amusement. 

To Wonwoo’s surprise, Mingyu bursts into laughter. He laughs so hard there are tears forming at the corner of his eyes.

When Mingyu catches his breath, both his hands come up to surrender as he says, “Took you long enough! Congratulations, you caught me! You’re right, I am a corrupt bastard and made off with the gold. After seeing how much gold we stole, I got greedy. 

But you know what? I deserved it. I did all the real work, I was the one who planned out the entire heist. You did what? Open the safe? I could’ve done that myself but I let you join because you seemed so desperate.”

Wonwoo feels an ice cold rage settle in his veins, he clenches his fist until his fingernails are digging into his palms. “What the fuck are you saying?”

Mingyu struts over to Wonwoo - one slow step at a time, hands in his pocket and a devious smirk gracing his features. He tilts his head down so he can look Wonwoo straight in the eyes as he says, “You think I didn’t see it? I know you were desperate for money and a good fucki-”

Mingyu was cut off when Wonwoo’s fist collided with his jaw. Wonwoo feels tears pooling at the corners of his eyes from the anger of Mingyu’s words.

Mingyu staggers back from the impact and hisses from the pain. When he finds his footing, he straightens up and spits out blood. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and scoffs.

“I see you learned to use your hands for something other than opening safes and sex.”

Wonwoo surges forward and grabs the collars of Mingyu’s shirt. “You’re going to regret ever knowing me, fucker.”

The smirk returns to Mingyu’s face as both his hands grasp onto the back of Wonwoo’s hands, “Oh yeah? And what do you plan to do?”

Wonwoo’s grasp tightens even more as he seethes, “I promise, I will send you straight to hell.”

“Fine by me, I don’t know that many people in heaven anyways.”

Wonwoo shoves Mingyu away harshly as he feels tears of anger threatening to spill over. He angrily wipes at them before Mingyu can see them fall. He turns to leave but before he gets far enough, he hears Mingyu speak, “I still never got an answer.”

Wonwoo doesn’t know why he is still entertaining Mingyu’s company at this point. He composes himself and squares his shoulders before turning back to face Mingyu.

“After three years, you still don’t have an answer to my question?”

Wonwoo takes in Mingyu’s appearance. His collar is crumpled from where Wonwoo had grasped on and the front of his shirt spotted with droplets of blood. Wonwoo would be feeling proud for returning only a small portion of grief Mingyu had caused him but he makes the mistake of looking at his face - void of expression, all the fight seemingly drained out of him.

Wonwoo’s eyes finally settle on Mingyu’s. Mingyu’s face might be trying to mask his emotions but his eyes tell a different story. They look dejected, exhausted - almost sad.

Wonwoo feels a pull in his chest. He knows what Mingyu is referring to and he hates how he recalls the event in question with clarity.

🌅

_The sun was slowly dipping beyond the horizon as he sips from a can of beer, feet dangling over the edge of his old highschool’s rooftop. He always hated this place but it was one of the only places in Seoul that gave him a clear view of the sky._

_The clouds are moving slowly across the sky, tinged with soft shades of orange and pink. With it being early spring, the nights were still cool. He’s reminded of the fact when the breeze hits him straight to the bone. He should’ve brought a sweater but it’s too late to go back now so he continues watching the clouds in blissful ignorance._

_His peace is disrupted when he feels something drape over his shoulders and his beer can is plucked from his hand. He looks up to see Mingyu standing next to him, taking a sip of his drink._

_Wonwoo pinches Mingyu’s leg and Mingyu lets out a choked, squeal._

_“Get your own drink!”_

_“Get your own sweater then! It was a fair trade in my opinion.”_

_Wonwoo groans and rolls his eyes, hating how Mingyu was right._

_Mingyu plops down next to Wonwoo and they sit in a peaceful silence._

_After a while, Mingyu yawns and stretches his arms above his head. Wonwoo suddenly feels an arm wrapped around his shoulders and his body being pulled into Mingyu’s._

_Wonwoo looks up to see Mingyu with a satisfied smile forming on his face. He scoffs and hits Mingyu on the chest, “You’re not slick, you’re annoying.”_

_“But I don’t see you trying to get away?”_

_Wonwoo snuggles closer in Mingyu’s warm embrace and huffs, “So annoying.”_

_Wonwoo rests his head on Mingyu’s shoulder as Mingyu rubs soothing circles where his hand rests._

_“Are you ready for tomorrow? It’ll be our biggest heist up to date.”_

_“Yeah, you?”_

_“Yeah except one thing…” Mingyu trails off._

_Wonwoo pulls away. Mingyu avoids looking at him so Wonwoo gently caresses Mingyu’s face to turn towards him._

_“What’s on your mind?”_

_Mingyu’s eyes look so vulnerable as they stare into Wonwoo’s._

_Mingyu closes his eyes and covers Wonwoo’s hand with his own. He doesn’t say anything as a few heartbeats pass before sighs, opens his eyes, and meets Wonwoo’s with conviction._

_“Do you trust me?”_

_Wonwoo chuckles, “I have no choice but to right?”_

_Mingyu smiles softly, “So... do you love me?”_

_Wonwoo feels his heart stutter. Overwhelmingly stunned._

_Before he can stop himself, he pulls Mingyu in for a kiss. He pulls away to whisper against Mingyu’s lips, “Can I answer you later?”_

_Mingyu pushes Wonwoo onto his back to continue what he started._

🌅

A shiver pulls Wonwoo out of his memories. He watches as the breeze tousles Mingyu’s hair and clothes slightly.

Wonwoo remembers the answer he wanted to give 3 years ago and despite everything, he hates the answer he knows he _wants_ to give. 

But it’s not the answer he _can_ give, not after everything that’s transpired between them.

“You know what the only theme we have in common with Romeo & Juliet?”

Mingyu looks confused but answers Wonwoo, “No, what would that be?”

“Tragedy.”

Mingyu’s face falls as Wonwoo continues. 

“What happened in the past, stays there. We’re not destined, star-crossed lovers. You’re my sworn enemy. There is nothing left between us, aside from this job. The team needs you to finish the job but after this is over, you'll go down with the Blue Butterfly."

Wonwoo turns his back on Mingyu before giving him the answer he knows Mingyu dreaded to hear ‒ the same words he dreaded to say.

"Oh, and to answer your question, I think it's quite obvious how I feel now and as for back then, I…"

Wonwoo hates how much his own heart hurts as he says his last words to Mingyu. 

"... It meant nothing to me." 

Wonwoo walks across the rooftop and into the elevator, not looking back. 

Not now, not ever again. 

The doors come to a silent close, shutting him off from his past. 

He keeps the facade up as he descends but no matter how hard he tries to mask his pain, it won’t stop his heart from breaking into disarray.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not so fun, fun fact: this chapter was supposed to be longer but even with the cut, it's the longest chapter to date :') I decided it made more sense to end it here.
> 
> well, well, WELL. if you've stuck around for the Meanie, MinWon, Wongyu... there you go :D jkjk there's much more to come soon 👀
> 
> The year is wrapping up & my schedule for the next month or so is packed, so I'm not totally sure if this will be updated again before the New Year but nonetheless, please take care!! If you're celebrating anything this month, please be mindful of the health guidelines your country/city/etc. have in place. Stay safe and let's all continue doing our best!
> 
> \- em ♡


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